


Written on Your Heart

by blueboxesandtrafficcones



Series: Written on Your Heart [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Gen, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-01-11 00:48:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12311334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueboxesandtrafficcones/pseuds/blueboxesandtrafficcones
Summary: At 12 and 15 respectively, Rose Tyler and James Noble have their first contact through their soulmarks.  There is miscommunication and misunderstandings as they struggle to find their way through life knowing their soulmate, but unable to meet.





	1. Chapter 1

Every soulmated couple was marked in their own unique way.  Some couples, arguably the luckiest, had each other’s names inked on their skin; others would only be marked upon a shared touch, or speaking to each other.  There was no way of knowing how, or when, a person would be marked until it occurred, if it ever did.

There were two broad categories of the looking – those that knew they were mated but had not yet met, and those that were dependent on luck.  Those that knew typically had clues to follow, or at least to eliminate potentials, based on their mark.  The levels of contact for those that knew varied depending on their type of bond.  Some had a name to be on the lookout for, but nothing else – others were in contact from a young age, but had not been able or allowed to meet until they were of age.  They were the lucky ones.

The other category, those who were only marked upon meeting, were not so fortunate.  They had no information about their mate; it was quite possible to meet them, even perhaps know them for years, without stumbling upon the trigger for the mark to appear.  There were stories, of couples who would work in the same office building and speak every day, and not know they were mated until they actually introduced themselves.  Others would be marked upon merely the brushing of the fingers; it was not uncommon to see someone running along the platform of the tube, yelling for their mate, only known of because of the brush of fingers.

Family didn’t seem to have anything to do with the type of mark you would receive; even in large groups of siblings, no two would have the same type of identifier.  If your ancestors tended to ‘know’, it was a higher likelihood that you would as well, but certainly no guarantee.

As a child, Rose had always been fascinated by her mother’s mark.  Jackie and Pete Tyler had been those with the first words they would ever say to each other imprinted on their skin.  After Pete’s death, Jackie’s marks had faded to a faint silver, almost impossible to see but still present.

Rose is twelve when the words first appear on her left palm, accompanied by a slight tickle.

_Buy the new Harry Potter book._

What?

She was in the middle of math class, staring out the window, when she glanced down and saw the message.  At first, she wasn’t certain how it had gotten there, as it most certainly wasn’t her handwriting.  It wasn’t until the bell rang, and she was halfway to her next class the most likely explanation hit her, and she stopped dead in the hallway.

In a fog, giddy with excitement, she had enough presence of mind to make her way to the nearest toilet, heedless of the bell ringing for the next period to begin.  Instead, she locked herself in a stall and sat on the toilet lid, staring at her hand in awe, gently tracing the letters.

Eventually, it occurred to her that if she could see his writing, he would likely be able to see if she responded.  Digging in her bag for a pen that wouldn’t hurt, she held it poised over her palm, lacking only something to write.

This was it – her first communication with her soulmate!  She’d been worried that she would be one of the searchers; that she’d never know if she had a mate, or worse, that she would only know when she lost him.  She wanted something special, dazzling; she wanted to charm him, make him fall hopelessly in love with her with only a few letters written on her skin and transferred to his.  But what was right?

In the end, she decided to make one thing clear – she was her own person, capable of thinking and deciding for herself.  Even though she knew in the back of her mind it was most likely only a note to himself (or herself – it happened), she still wanted to establish herself as independent.  So, with a trembling hand, she printed four characters below his message.

_Why?_

Dropping the pen with a nervous giggle, she waited with baited breath to see what her soulmate would respond with.  It took the longest two minutes of Rose’s life, but eventually he (she assumed it was a he; most girls had far better handwriting) replied.

_Hello?_

_Hi!_   She quickly scribbled back.

 _This is_ Came through after a moment, though it seemed like an unfinished thought.

 _ ~~weird~~ ~~strange~~ ~~different~~ new._   Her mate seemed perplexed, though she appreciated that he seemed to be trying not to insult her right off the bat.

 _Yep.  Do you write notes on your hand often?_   She asked.  This was the first time she’d noticed it, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything without knowing what was the trigger to initiate the bond.

_Sometimes, if it’s important.  You?_

_Drawings, but that’s it._   She admitted.

_You draw?_

_Yes._

_Well?_

At this point, Rose had to roll up her sleeve to continue the conversation, considering her response all the while.  After a few moments hesitation, she doodled a simple rose.

_Is that a rose?_

_Yes._

_Why?_

She paused only for a second, before reminding herself that they were soulmates – even if they’d never met, she could trust him.

_It’s me._

_You’re a flower?_

_No – it’s my name._

_Rose?_

_Yeah._

_Your name is Rose?_

_Yeah._

She briefly considered leaving it there, but decided to go for broke.

_Tyler._

_Uh, actually, I’m James._

_No, Rose Tyler._

_Oh.  James Noble.  Hi._

_Hi!_

_Can I ask you something?_   He replied after a minute.

_Sure._

_How old are you?_   She froze, nervous.

 _How old are you?_  Rose asked instead of answering.

  1. She instantly blushed, sure that he would think she was just a kid.



_12._

After that, she didn’t hear from him, though she spent twenty minutes staring at her arm, hoping for a reaction.  Finally the bell rang, signaling the end of the period she skipped and the start of her lunch break; shouldering her bag, she walked quickly to the cafeteria, going through the lunch line by rote and finding her friends.  A little hurt at his lack of response, she resolutely decided to focus on the rest of the school day, and maybe check when she got home.

In the end, she made it ten minutes into history class before checking her arm, pleasantly surprised to find a response.

_Oh.  Ok._

_I was just a little worried – the exclamation points made me think you might be a bit younger, which would be weird._

_Well, it’d be weird now – not in like, 10 years._

_Well, maybe still in 10 years – it would’ve depended on how much younger._

_But 3 years isn’t that big a deal now.  At least for talking._

_Hello?_

_Rose?_

_I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings – also, for disappearing.  I was trying to figure out what to say when my teacher announced a pop quiz.  I hope you don’t think_

The writing stopped there, but there was an arrow pointing to the left.  It took a moment, but then she realized what it meant and twisted to see her forearm, where the message finished.

_that I was rejecting you.  Because I’m not.  I was just a little thrown._

_Rose?_

_I really am sorry – once we meet (if we meet – was that too presumptuous?) you’ll realize that I’ve got a bit of a gob, and it can sometimes take off without me._

_Though, I suppose, in this case it’s my hand that’s got away from me._

_Please, Rose, don’t let me have ruined this on day one…_

It was the final message that truly got her, and she practically knocked all of her books off her desk to scramble for her pen.

 _Sorry!_   Remembering belatedly his comment about the exclamation points, she quickly scribbled the whole word out, replacing it with, _Sorry.  I was at lunch, and didn’t see your message til now._

 _So you don’t hate me already?_   It was his fastest response yet, and Rose felt bad for making him worry.

 _No.  Not at all._   She only hesitated a moment, before adding a smiley face.

_Good!_

“Something to share with the class, Miss Tyler?”

Rose’s head jerked up, her smile falling as she realized the entire class, including her teacher, were staring at her.

“Uh, no?”  She said meekly.

The teacher raised an eyebrow, but moved on.  “Please try to pay more attention, Miss Tyler – the test is on Friday, as you’ll recall.”

As subtly as she could, Rose glanced down at her arm, ready to tell James that she couldn’t talk until after school, only to see a note from him.

_Don’t want to randomly disappear on you again – I don’t think I can ~~talk~~ write until after classes are done for the day.  Can we ~~speak~~ write tonight?_

She managed to scrawl back a hasty _OK_ before turning her attention to the front of the class.  History was not her best subject, and she needed to ace the test on Friday to pass with an acceptable grade.

That didn’t stop her from daydreaming about life with her soulmate, though.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James and Rose talk further.

That night, Rose excused herself early to lock herself in her room and stare at her arm.  By now, the earliest messages she and James had shared had been washed away, but most of it remained.  She gently traced her nail over his words, and bit her lip nervously.

He was _fifteen_.  To twelve year old Rose, that felt impossibly old, especially for someone she was meant to spend her life with.  She knew rationally that most couples had an age gap, and three years was almost nothing, but he was right – at this point in their lives, it might as well have been centuries.

She’d mostly managed to convince herself that this was some cruel trick of the universe when she saw new writing appear.

_Hi, Rose._

Her heart leapt, and she only considered ignoring it for a second before diving for a handful of pens, determined to figure out which would be best for writing to her soulmate.

_Hi, James._

It was a long few moments before he replied.

_I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent most of the afternoon staring at my arm, smiling like an idiot._

She didn’t hesitate.  _Me too.  My mum thinks I’ve lost the plot._

_Does she know?_

_No, haven’t told anyone.  Too new – not ready to share.  You?_

_No, though my aunt’s been giving me a strange look since she got home._

_You live with your aunt?_

_Yeah.  Parents died a few years ago.  You?_

_Just me and Mum.  Dad died when I was a baby.  Sorry about your parents._

_Thanks.  You, too._

_Where are you?_

_At home.  You?_

_Same – I’m in London._

She held her breath, wondering where her soulmate lived.

_Ealing._

_Really?_   She managed to restrain from using an exclamation point as well, but couldn’t contain the bubble of happiness.  She’d been prepared for something unreasonable, but Ealing wasn’t too far – technically, it was part of greater London.

_Since my parents died.  Any siblings?_

_Just me.  You?_

_Half-sister.  20.  Lives in Chiswick with her mum and grandfather._

_Sorry.  Are you close?_

_Were; she lived with us most of the time, didn’t get on with her mum.  But Sarah’s my mum’s sister, so she went back to her mum and I went to Sarah._

_Wish there was a better word than sorry._

_It’s ok.  We talk a lot – she drives to get me sometimes._

Rose felt her heart squeeze; somehow, she could feel the loneliness and grief radiating off him.

_I wish I could give you a hug._

_Me too._

Before Rose could reply, her mother stuck her head into her room.

“Rose, what are you doing?  Why do you have ink all over your arms?  Doesn’t matter – time for a shower.  Now, missy.”  Jackie gave her daughter a serious look when Rose didn’t immediately jump up.

“Ok, Mum.”  She dutifully replied, not moving.  Her mother didn’t leave, just stared at her, waiting.

“I’ll go in a minute – I have to finish something first.”  That seemed to do the trick, as Jackie only gave her a five minute warning before pulling the door shut behind her.

_I have to go._

_Was it something I said?_

_No – my mum needs me to do something._

_Ok.  I_   was all that came through, and after a few seconds Rose gave up and started preparing to shower.  By the time she was ready to head to the bathroom, the message had been completed.

_I really enjoyed talking to you.  Can we talk more tomorrow?  I want to hear about you – feels like you already know my whole life story._

Rose smiled down at her arm, debating what to write.  The decision was made when her mum shouted that her time was up.

_Definitely more tomorrow.  I enjoyed too.  Good night!_

Dropping the pen, she raced to the bathroom.  She saw his final message when she leaned over to turn the water on.

_Good night, love._

That night, she dreamed she was a princess, and James was a handsome prince come to sweep her off her feet and love her forever.

-

James made it about three days before his aunt figured out what was going on.  The first Saturday since ‘meeting’ Rose, he shuffled down to the kitchen to find Sarah Jane seating at the table, reading the paper and drinking coffee.

“Good morning, sleepy head.”  She greeted him brightly, carefully folding her paper and rising.  “Can I make you some breakfast?”

“Uh, sure.  Thanks.”  He sank into his usual seat at the table, watching suspiciously as she bustled around, fixing him breakfast, an altogether unusual sight.

“So, how was your week?  I feel like I’ve hardly seen you.”  She started off.  He tone was casual, but James was well aware how good of an investigative reporter she was; if he wasn’t careful, she’d know everything without him even realizing.  He and Rose had not yet discussed whether they wanted people to know; until he knew her feelings, he figured better safe than sorry.

“Uh, been good.  Busy.  Lots of tests, you know.”  He tried to relax, knowing Sarah had bloodhound-like instincts.  Feeling a message come in from Rose, his hand instinctively twitched for a pen, but he managed to stop himself.

“Did you see Donna at all?” 

He groaned with genuine remorse.  “No.  We texted a bit, but she started a new job for some bloke who said ‘secretary’ and meant ‘slave’.  She’s miserable, cause he’s got her running around London with his dry cleaning and personal errands.  The pay’s decent, though, so she’s hoping she may be able to move out within a couple of months.”

“You know she’s always welcome here.  I’d love to have her join us – why, this house is so big, she could bring Wilf if she wanted!”

“I do, and so does she, but you know Sylvia’d never go for it, even if she is 20.”  James reminded his aunt, who sneered at the mention.

There’d been a vicious battle when Sydney and Verity Noble had died.  For as long as James could remember, Donna’d spent most of her time with her father, stepmother, and James.  They’d died not long after Donna’s seventeenth birthday, and it had been presumed that the siblings would stay together.  Despite Donna not technically being her sister’s daughter, Sarah had welcomed both children with open arms.  However, Sylvia had put her foot down, and managed to win a long, drawn-out legal battle to bring Donna back to her.

Now, three years later, Sarah still despised any mention of her deceased brother-in-law’s ex-wife, and had Donna round for dinner at least once a week.

“Well, if I can help in any way…”

“I know, but you can remind her tonight if you want.  She promised she’d be here.”

“Excellent.”  Sarah said brusquely, setting James’ breakfast in front of him before returning to her seat.

“So,” she started once he’d taken his first bite, “what’s going on?”

He froze only momentarily, before continuing to eat and making a confused noise.

“Don’t make that noise at me, James David.  What happened?  Did you make contact with your soulmate?”  She guessed shrewdly, and he put his fork down with a sigh.  He’d tried, but he couldn’t very well lie to a direct question, could he? He rationalized to himself.

“I did.  Wednesday.  How’d you know?”

Sarah smirked at him, victorious.  “Because that’s the only possible explanation for why your arm has been slowly covered in ink since you came down.  Perhaps you should let them know you’re all right and will talk to them in a bit?”

James looked down at his arm to see she was right – there were a dozen messages from Rose now, the latest in all caps with multiple question marks.  Grabbing a pen from the sideboard, he quickly scribbled _I’m ok.  Aunt knows.  Talk ASAP._

An immediate _ok_ followed by a small heart appeared, and he set down the pen with a relieved sigh.

“So, start at the beginning and leave nothing out.”  Sarah leaned forward, waiting.

He began.

-

Fifteen minutes later, he was finished with the story, as well as his breakfast, and he sat back to watch his aunt process.

“So, soulmated.  To a twelve year old girl who lives in London.  And you haven’t met?”  She asked for the third time, and James rolled his eyes.

“No, we haven’t.  And we haven’t discussed it, either.”

“Do her parents know?”

“It’s just her and her mum – her dad died when she was a baby.  And as far as I know, no.  But, again, we haven’t talked about it.”

“So what exactly have you talked about?”  Sarah asked.  He shrugged.

“School, likes and dislikes, that sort of thing mostly.  Some personal, and I’m certainly curious, I want to know everything about her, but – I know the age difference now is a lot more problematic than it will be in five years.  I don’t want to do anything that could put her in harm’s way, or have her be judged or disparaged.  I know I have responsibilities being the older one, and the guy, and – I’m her soulmate, Aunt Sarah.  I’ll do anything to protect her.”

Frustrated, he ran his fingers through his hair, making it look wild.  Surprisingly, when he looked up she was smiling at him.

“Well, I’m glad to see that you’re being reasonable and responsible.  You’re right – as she’s twelve, and you’re fifteen, the… optics could be bad.  I like that you’re already trying to take care of her.”  She hesitated then, before adding carefully, “You do understand that you can’t meet in person until she’s eighteen, don’t you?”

It was an unwritten social taboo that you could not go looking for your soulmate if you had contact but not met before you were eighteen.  This rule specifically applied to people with soulmarks like Rose’s and James’ – where you were in contact, able to share information about yourself, but had never met.  Because soulmates could have a sizeable age gap, it was specifically done to protect children who were matched with adults. 

Though the majority of soulmated couples felt as James did, with nothing but love and respect for their partner, there were always the few outliers who abused the power.  Scientists were researching it, of course, but as it stood, no one knew what could make them snap.

Bearing all this in mind, James promised his aunt, “I do know, and I won’t try to.  I know Rose and I need to discuss this sort of stuff, and we will, but I’ll make sure she understands as well.  I’m sure she does though.”

Sarah nodded slowly.  “I know this will be a long, difficult six years for you, James, trying to resist meeting her, and just know that I will always love and support you – and her, once she’s of age.  You can talk to me any time, and know your confidences are safe with me.  Just one last thing, then I’ll let you get back to talking to her.  Have you thought about what, if anything, you’ll tell your sister?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackie learns the truth, and shares some of her own past.

Sarah Jane Smith may be an award-winning investigative journalist, but Jackie Tyler was a self-proclaimed gossiping busybody, and therefore it didn’t take her much longer to snoop out that there was something different about her daughter.

Almost overnight, Rose changed.  Where Jackie’s bright, fun-loving, happy-go-lucky, almost naïve twelve-year-old had been was now a much more serious, hardworking girl.  All week she still spent time out with her friends after school, but she was now home before dinner, and diligently working on her homework until it was time to eat.  Rose was more thoughtful, more measured in what she said.  She’d always been polite without prompting, but it always seemed an afterthought – now, she seemed to make an effort to thank Jackie for everything, offering to do more around the flat and tell her she loved her.

Jackie’d bet every penny she had that there was a boy involved somehow, most likely a posh one who’d never seriously want anything to do with an Estate girl.

She’d noticed it that first weekend, but rather than have it out then, gave it the week, to watch Rose carefully and make notes of the changes.  The following Saturday, rather than going to Bev’s as usual, she sat at her own table, waiting patiently for her daughter to get up.  That was another suspicious thing – Rose had always needed to be practically dragged out of bed, but now when Jackie would knock Rose would almost instantly emerge, dressed for school and looking as though she’d been up for ages.

Therefore, she was only slightly surprised when Rose appeared, yawning, just after nine.  “Morning, sweetheart.”  Jackie said, watching her daughter fix herself a cuppa.

“Morning.  Still here?”  Rose asked, slumping down into her usual chair.

“Yeah, seems like I haven’t seen you all week.  Thought we’d spend the day together, go window shopping maybe?”  She suggested as casually as she could.

Rose’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she shrugged and agreed easily.  “Yeah, all right.  Sounds good.”

“Good.  I’ll start breakfast, why don’t you talk to me while I do?”

Slowly at first, Rose started talking about how classes had gone that week, though she quickly built up to her usual enthusiasm.  Jackie noticed that rather than the usual stories about her friends and what happened during class, it was more about the classes themselves – what she was learning, what she thought about the subjects, and an altogether higher level of conversation.

Now Jackie was seriously worried.

-

“Anything you want to talk about?”  Jackie asked her daughter a few hours later as they wandered through the mall.  Rose had been chatty all morning, but not about anything Jackie deemed important – certainly nothing about what had caused the change in her.

Rose hesitated, playing with the wrist of her shirt.

“Go on, what is it?”  Jackie encouraged, sure the girl was moments from spitting it out.

“Tell me about your soulmark?”  The innocent question knocked the breath out of Jackie’s lungs, and she heard a roaring in her ears.  Distantly, she registered the look on Rose’s face, which suggested that she was as surprised at the question as her mother was.

Swallowing a few times, Jackie managed to come back to reality, though she couldn’t stop herself from absentmindedly rubbing at the faint words just under her left collarbone.

Rose’s eyes were wide with worry, and she rushed to take it back before Jackie could even say anything.  “I’m sorry.  I’m sorry!  I don’t know what I was thinking – you don’t have to answer if it’s too much.  I’m sorry!”  The girl bit her lip, watching her mother with troubled sorrow in her eyes.

“No, s’all right.  You’ve a right to ask, after all.”  She led her daughter over to an empty bench and sat down, patting the space next to her.  Like a little girl, Rose snuggled under Jackie’s arm, head resting against her shoulder as Jackie held her tightly.

“So, soulmarks.  As you know, every couple’s marks manifest differently.  My parents, for example, had each other’s names written on the backs of their necks.  Your other grandparents, your dad’s parents, they were unable to see color until they met.  Your dad and I, we had the first words we’d ever say to each other under our collarbones, on the left side of our heart.”

She got lost in the memories, as if it was only yesterday Pete was still with her, and they would trace the first words to each other over and over, laughing about it all the while.

“And you knew, as soon as you found each other?”  Rose questioned, hesitant to bring her mother out of her trance but dying to know.  Usually if she asked, Jackie would throw out a small detail then change the subject.  This was the first time she’d been so open about the subject personally, though she had no issues with gossiping about other bonded couples throughout the estate.

“We did.  Though, of course, we had some… unique words that don’t typically come up in normal conversation.”  Jackie said delicately, remembering the string of swears and insults her husband had written on him from an early age.  Needless to say, his mother had been none to impressed with the young Jackie Prentice.  She, meanwhile, had ‘dear God, you’re gorgeous’.

Rose only rolled her eyes, more than familiar with her mother’s habit of using less-than-proper language.

“Rose?”  Jackie wasn’t sure how, but she suddenly knew exactly what had happened to cause this change in her daughter.  “Did you meet your soulmate?”

Rose tensed, drawing back to stare at her mother’s chin.  “No?”

“Rose.  The truth please, sweetheart.  I won’t be mad.”  She promised, and Rose slowly looked up.

“Technically, we didn’t meet.”  Rose offered hesitantly.

“Rose.”

“Wewriteonourskinandtheothercanseeit.”  Rose mumbled, blushing slightly.

“What was that?”

“We write on our skin and the other can see it.”  Rose repeated louder, unable to stop the smile from forming at the thought of James.

Jackie just blinked at her, fascinated.  “Really?”  Jackie thought she’d heard of everything, but this was the first she’d heard of anyone actually being marked that way.

Rose nodded shyly.

“Okay.”  Despite having been somewhat prepared for the eventuality, Jackie’s still stunned.  She thought she’d have more time before losing her daughter to her soulmate, even if Rose couldn’t meet him for another six years.

“Mum?  All right?”  Rose asked, and Jackie managed a weak but genuine smile.

“Yeah, think so.  Tell me about them?”

Rose lit up like the sun.

“His name is James, and oh, Mum, he’s wonderful!  He’s so smart, and funny-” and she was off, babbling at a hundred miles an hour about this boy, though Jackie was quick to notice that she left out details such as how old he was and where he lived.  She let the girl go on, half listening to her words while the rest of her tried to process the concept.

Eventually, Rose ran out of breath and just looked at her mother, grinning happily at the thought of her James.

“Well, he sounds wonderful.”  Jackie said.  “But I think you left out a few details – such as, how old is he and where does he live?”

Rose considered lying, but her mother had taken everything so far honestly better than expected, and decided to trust her.

“He lives in Ealing.  And, um, he’s fifteen.”

Jackie’s heart stopped. 

Barely managing to keep from losing it, she grin her teeth and said, “Fifteen.  That’s…” she struggled for a moment before settling on, “nice.”

Rose had a wry look on her face.  “We’ve already discussed we won’t try to meet until I’m 18, and he’s not asking anything too weird or personal.”

Jackie nodded slowly.  “Can I see?”  She asked, raising an eyebrow when Rose hesitated.

“Um, okay.”  Rose thought for a moment, before digging out her pen and rolling up left sleeve.  Jackie could see traces of ink that hadn’t been washed away, and now understood why Rose’s sheets were so stained with the stuff.  The girl rotated her arm around, before settling on a patch of clean skin.  Looking up at her mother one more time, she took a deep breath and pressed the pen tip to her skin.

_Hi._

She got an immediate response.

_Hi!  How’s shopping?_

_Good._   She paused, peeking up at Jackie to see her watching intently, expressionless.  _My mum guessed.  She wanted to see._   She had a sudden, horrible thought that he might get mad, and not want her any more – true, he’d told his aunt, but he didn’t say she’d actually watched them talk.  His answering message displaced most of those fears.

_Hi, Rose’s mum!  I’m James.  Nice to meet you, such as it is._

The two Tylers looked at the message for a few long moments, a hundred thoughts going through their minds.  Impulsively, Rose offered the pen to Jackie.  “Want to say hello?”

Hesitantly, Jackie took the pen in one hand and her daughter’s arm in the other.  “Let me know if I press to hard.”  She told her, before carefully printing, _Hello, James._

They waited with bated breath, but no response came.  Rose was just starting to think he’d gotten pulled away unexpectedly when writing appeared.

_Rose?  Everything all right?_

_Yeah – why?_

_Well, just, I said hello, didn’t hear from you.  Was worried._

Rose blinked, staring at her mother’s writing in confusion.  James had practically written over it.

_Mum said hi back – did you not see it?_

_No – where?_

Rose carefully circled her mother’s writing.

_That’s weird – there’s nothing in the circle.  Maybe it only works if it’s us writing?_

_Maybe._   Rose considered, looking up at her mother with a shrug.  “Sorry, looks like it only goes through if it’s us writing.”

 _Did you get that?_    James asked, and Rose frowned.

_Get what?_

_Smiley face._

_No?_

_Had Sarah try, she did the smiley face, and if you didn’t get it, that means only we can write?_

_Looks like._

_Wicked!_

_That’s good?_

_We’ll never have to wonder if anything sent is genuine.  Plus, my sister has a tendency to sneak into my room while I’m asleep and draw on my face.  Good to know that won’t go through to you – the humiliation of seeing it in the mirror when I wake up is enough._

_I think I’m going to like your sister._

_Probably._   She laughed when he included a frowny face, before suddenly remembering her mother was watching.

_Um, talk later._

_Ok. ~~Lo~~ Later._

Rose carefully rolled her sleeve down and tucked her pen away before looking up at her mother.

“What do you think?”

“I think… he seems like a very nice boy.  I’ve had enough of shopping, though – want to head home?  See if there’s a good movie on telly?”

Rose nodded, a little disappointed at her mother’s lackluster reaction.  Then again, she considered as they headed out, Jackie hadn’t forbidden them from communicating, and wasn’t throwing a fit.  She had to take what she could get.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackie and Sarah Jane meet, without knowing who the other is.
> 
> Meanwhile, James worries about living up to the image in Rose's head.

Walking into the hall, Sarah Jane glanced around in interest, quickly taking note of the attendees.  Ostensibly, she was there to do a report on the event, designed to support and educate parents of underage children who had been in contact or actually met their soulmates.  These meeting occurred several times throughout the year, all throughout the greater London area, but this was the first since James had met Rose.

“Quite the turnout, isn’t it?”  Sarah turned, slightly startled, to face the woman who’d spoken.

“Yes, it is.  I’m surprised, really.”  Sarah took in the woman with a journalist’s eye – thirty-ish, bit overweight, peroxide blonde.  She had a kind air about her, though, and Sarah thought she might have a focus for her article.

“Me too, maybe it’s something to do with school being back, kids are meeting there?”  The woman guessed, looking around at the room full of women nervously chatting.

“That’s certainly a possibility.”  Sarah agreed, before deciding to extend her hand.  “Sarah Jane.” 

“Jackie.”  The woman introduced, shaking her hand quickly before asking, “Son or daughter?”

“Oh, neither.  I’m actually a journalist; I wanted to do a human interest type story about the challenges parents face when their child meets their soulmate before they’re of age.”  Sarah explained, thinking back with disgust to the truly little information available to help parents cope.

“Oh, really?”  Jackie gave her a side eye of mistrust, but Sarah just smiled warmly.  “Not with names, or an expo or anything of the sort, just information that I hope would be a bit more useful than what’s out there at the moment.”  Jackie nodded slowly, seemingly satisfied for the moment.

Just then, they made an announcement that the presentation would be beginning shortly.  Sarah eyed the other woman, who offered, “Would you like to find seats together?”  Quickly agreeing, the women made their way to the folding chairs.

-

As the lecturer wrapped up by inviting the parents to mingle and share their stories, Sarah flipped her notebook closed and stored it, and her pen, away in her purse in time to clap along with the other parents.  Everyone else started to rise, but Sarah followed Jackie’s lead of staying seated.  The two women had bonded throughout the presentation, sharing eye rolls and smiles at the appropriate points.

“Well that was… helpful.”  Sarah decided on, though it wasn’t particularly true.  She’d been hoping for more than a droning lecture on the law and obscure cases and stories.  She’d wanted testimonials, to hear from real parents who’d already been through this, or better, adult soulmates who’d met as children, and their experiences.

“You mean a waste of time.”  Jackie snorted.  “Wasn’t a single helpful word in that at all.  Everyone already knows they’re not supposed to meet before they’re of age.”

Sarah smirked at her new friend, liking her blunt way of looking at the world.  It was different from Sarah’s, of course, and Jackie tended to see the negative, but she always came at it from a thought-provoking way, rather than the usual complaints.

Jackie checked her watch then, and sighed.  “Well, that’s it for me.  Got to get home.  It was lovely chatting, though.”

Impulsively, Sarah offered the woman a hug as she replied, “It absolutely was, thank you for talking with me.”

“I already tried talking to some of the other mums – they looked down their noses at me, when they could see over ‘em.  Fat lot of good they were.”  Jackie snarked, making Sarah laugh.

The women said goodbye, and it wasn’t until after Jackie was long gone that Sarah realized she’d never gotten the woman’s details.

Resigned to never seeing her new friend again, Sarah none the less put on her metaphorical reporter’s cap and waded into the group of mothers, hoping to gleam any insight possible.

-

“Hey, how was the meeting?”  Rose called as she heard her mother enter the flat, looking up from her limbs where she’d spent most of the night talking to James.

“Not particularly helpful, honestly.”  Jackie sunk onto the couch next to Rose, barely managing to refrain from rolling her eyes when she saw all of her daughter’s left arm and most of both legs covered with ink.

“You are going to wash that all off before going to bed, aren’t you?”  She couldn’t help but ask, and Rose shot her as condescending a look as the twelve year old was capable of.

“Yes, mum.”  Rose neglected to mention that she’d probably be covered in ink again by the time she said goodnight to James; he was usually the more responsible of the two, insisting they stop talking when it got too late, going so far as to refuse to respond.

Deciding James could wait for a moment, she snuggled down in to her mum’s embrace like she was still a little girl, sighing happily when Jackie began carding her fingers through her hair.

“Thank you.”  Rose murmured, and her mother laughed softly.

“Thank you, Rose, for not thinking you’re too old for this.  Not yet, at least.”

“No, I meant – yes, that’s nice, but I meant for being so understanding about all of this.  About, well, James.”

Jackie paused only momentarily.  “Rose…”  She sighed heavily, trying to find the best way to say what was on her mind.  “I love you.  And I want you to be happy.  So if that’s James, then all right then.  But more than that, I want you to be safe.  I…”  Jackie swallowed hard before admitting, “for so long, since your Dad died, it’s been just you and me, sweetheart.  We were all each other had.  But now, now you have someone else.  And all I know about this boy is what he’s told you, and you’ve told me.  But so long as you’ve agreed not to meet until you’re eighteen, then, there’s no use in me worrying now, is there?”

Rose scrambled to sit up so she could look her mother in her eye.  “You’re right, now I’ve got James, but that’s only in writing, yeah?  You’re still Mum, you’re still the one here, who I laugh with and spend time with.  And it’s only temporary, yeah?  I’ll turn eighteen, and then we’ll have more family than we know what to do with, between Sarah ‘n Donna ‘n Wilf.  And, eventually, I assume we’ll have a kid or two, far, far into the future.  But you’re still Mum.”  Rose promised fiercely, and it both warmed Jackie’s heart and just made her sadder, already able to see the wonderful young woman her daughter was growing to be.

“You’re absolutely right, sweetheart.  So let’s make the most of the time it’s just the two of us, yeah?”  She smiled, and Rose beamed back.  Then a thought occurred to Jackie as they settled back down to their previous positions.

“Who are Sarah, Donna, and Wilf?”

-

“Hi.”  Sarah walked into her sitting room, seeing her nephew spread on the couch, writing on his leg, school books abandoned on the coffee table in front of him.

“Hey.”  He mumbled, obviously distracted by something Rose had said.

Sarah watched him for a moment, but he never looked up, making her roll her eyes.  “Oh, my evening was fine, thank you for asking.”

“That’s good.”  Her sarcasm seemed to go over his head as he examined his exposed skin, likely looking for a clean place to write judging by his frown.

“James.”

“Yeah?”

She waited until he looked up, slightly amused at how long it took him to focus on her.

“Hi.”  She started from the beginning, smiling pleasantly as she sat on the opposite end of the couch from him.

“Hey, Aunt Sarah.  How was your night?”  He asked politely.

“Do you even know where I was?  Or, for that matter, that I wasn’t here?”

The sheepish look on his face made her genuinely laugh and take pity on him.  “How’s Rose?”

As expected, he suddenly became much more animated at the mention of his soulmate.

“Great!  She got an 85% on her history test – she said that’s pretty much the best score she’s ever gotten!  And-” James babbled on, and Sarah was just happy to see him so happy.  He’d always been a happy child, but when his parents died three years earlier, and he’d been separated from Donna, he’d withdrawn into himself a bit.  Though she didn’t take it personally, it did make Sarah a bit melancholy to know that a girl he’d never met had been what it took to bring the spark back to James’ life.

As much as he bragged about the changes in Rose’s grades in the two months they’d been in each other’s lives, his aunt had noticed an improvement to his own as well.  James had always been a good student, top of the class without any effort with a love of learning he’d gotten from her sister, but after they passed, that brightly burning light was buried under mountains of grief.  Now, however, he was once again showing a passion for his learning that had been sorely missing.

“Sarah?”  His hesitant voice broke through her musings, and she straightened up with a start.

“Yes, dear?”  She watched him fidget, opening and closing his mouth several times without anything coming out.

“Do you think Rose will be happy?”  James finally managed.

“I’m sure she will – she sounds like a bright girl, one who could make the best of any situation.”  She hoped her answer was satisfactory, as she honestly hadn’t been listening, but it didn’t seem to be what James was looking for, based on the heavy sigh he gave.

“No, I meant – with me.”  He immediately ducked his head to play with a throw pillow, but she could still see his ears turning red.

“What?  James – you’re soulmates.  Of course she will.”  Sarah was a firm believer in soulmates – especially when it was two people as wonderful, albeit young, as James and Rose.

“I know we are, but – we’ve got six years before we can meet.  All we’ll know of each other is what we write, there’s no… objective observation.  What if she turns eighteen, and we meet, and I’m nothing like what she’s been picturing all these years?  What if she’s disappointed?  I just – I already love her, Sarah.  I know her, I know who she is.  I can see it, and I honestly believe I can spend my life with her.  But for her- she’s twelve.  What if…”  He trailed off, frustrated when a single tear leaked from his eye.

Sarah’s heart broke for her nephew, wondering how long he’d been holding this in.  Going over to him, she perched on the couch arm and wrapped her arms around his head, holding him close.

“Oh, James.  I’m certain you won’t be what she pictured, but that you will be so much better.  I know how you talk about yourself, how you see yourself.  And I’d bet the house that she already loves you too, based on what she sees.  And when she sees the objective truth, as you put it?  She’ll be blown away by how wonderful and caring you are.  There’s no way she won’t be swept away by how much you love her.  I’m not saying it’ll be easy, or that there will never be bumps – you’re both still growing.  But it will be worth it.  Absolutely worth it.”

She promised him, clutching him tighter when she felt him hiccup.  As she felt him calm, she prayed that her words were true, and that when it came time, Rose would appreciate the wonderful boy, no, she corrected herself, man, that would dedicate his entire life to making her happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me! The drama starts next chapter, after a bit of a timejump.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James tries to be reassuring - Rose reads far more into it than he meant, and overreacts. Bit of a timejump here from the last chapters.

Thirteen year old Rose Tyler stood with her back against the wall, watching the dozens of pre-teens move on the dance floor, not that you could really call it dancing.  Arms crossed, the irritated look on her face was enough to keep away any boys who might have dared try otherwise.  Coming to the dance was hardly her idea – her best mates Shareen and Keisha had begged her to come with, and Jackie had all but shoved her out the door.

Truth be told, Rose would’ve rather been at home, spending the evening writing to James.  In the eighteen months they’d been soulmated, they’d only grown closer.  While Rose saw no issue with this, as after all they were meant to spend their lives together, Jackie, Shareen, Keisha, and Mickey had been encouraging her to spend time with ‘real’ people her own age.  She tried to resist as much as she could, but did occasionally allow them to bully her into going out to a party or dance, knowing they just wanted the best for her.

She still maintained the best for her was James, though.

Tonight was a night where’d she’d let them win, though James had gotten a long-winded rant just before she got in the shower.  He’d been sympathetic, but mostly supportive of her going out – though he had made it clear he’d miss her, and he might write, but she shouldn’t feel an obligation to respond.

Therefore, every few minutes she would feel a new tingle, and see a new message from him which never failed to make her smile.

Just as she was thinking she hadn’t heard from him, there was a new message, and she instantly looked at it, scowl melting from her face.

_Danced with anyone yet?_

She plucked her pen from where it was hidden in her updo, after making sure her friends were occupied.

_No.  Don’t plan to either._

_Why not?  I doubt you’ve gotten no offers._

_No offers.  I’m all but wearing a ‘stay away’ sign._

_Why?_

_What’s the point?_

_It’s it a rite of passage, or something?  Dance with a boy at a dance?  No one you want?_

She held the pen over her arm, biting her lip in indecision.  Even after eighteen months, she still was sometimes shy about sharing her feelings.  They’d never actually said those three words, but it was heavily implied in most conversations.

_It may be, but I don’t care._

Then, she decided to be brave, like Shareen and Keisha had suggested, though not in the way they meant.

_I don’t want to dance, if not with you._

He didn’t respond for long moments, and she nervously tapped her foot to the music waiting for him.

 _I don’t know what to say to that._   He finally replied after the song had changed.

 _There’s a large part of me that wants to stand on the roof and beat my chest and let out a rebel yell._   She snorted, watching his words come through slowly, as though he was thinking as he wrote.

 _That part of me wants to come to where you are, and take you away so we can begin our lives together.  The other, slightly saner part of me realizes that would probably look very creepy, and that’s not the kind of impression I want to make on your mother, and I don’t think Sarah’d be too happy to bail me out of jail for kidnapping you._   She threw her head back, laughing.  She could picture the sheepish, but smug look on his face as he thought that through.  Not that she knew what his face looked like, of course, but she knew enough of his personality to guess.

 _It’s not kidnapping if I go willingly._   She quickly scrawled, to get a smiley face back right next to it.

_I don’t think the cops would see it that way.  Nor your mother.  But, Rose, you’re 13.  We’ve got the rest of our lives.  I don’t want you to put your life on hold, and not really live until we meet.  That’s not fair to you.  Have fun.  Dance, if you want to.  You owe no one anything – not your time, not your attention, not your favors.  Not even me.  Live your life for you, and I believe, I really believe, it will all work out perfectly when we meet.  Well, maybe not perfectly, but perfectly for us._

The words made her smile, and she could feel his love for her.  Writing back _ok, I’ll let you know how it goes_ , she looked up and saw a boy watching her carefully.  When they made eye contact, he straightened up and wiped his palms on his trousers before coming over to her.

“Wanna dance?”

“All right.”  She agreed, somewhat hesitantly, but took James’ words to heart.  It’s not like she was going to marry the guy.

-

It wasn’t until she was at home that night, getting ready for bed and rereading James’ words that what he said really sank in.

On the surface, they were caring and supportive, but suddenly she was seeing them in a new light.  Why was he so supportive of her going out, doing her own thing?  Shouldn’t he want, or even expect, to claim all those firsts for his own?  Not that dancing with a boy (well, near a boy, really – they’d barely touched) was really a life-changing event, but it was more what it implied.

She stopped humming abruptly, and sat down on her bed as the full weight of what he’d implied hit her.  Had he encouraged her to ‘live her life for her’ because he was doing the same?  She may have only been thirteen, but she lived on the estate and was well aware of what happened between boys and girls.  She knew he’d already turned seventeen, and to her horror she felt tears well up at the realization that he must have had already at least one girlfriend, maybe more, and done far more than hold hands, like she dreamed of doing with him.

After all, Mickey was the same age as him, and he’d certainly been _friendly_ with several girls.

Humiliated, and feeling like a stupid, naïve little girl, Rose quickly headed for the shower, scrubbing off every inch of ink until her skin was raw.  Once she was dressed in her jimjams, she crawled into bed, where she finally let her tears go.  Sobbing into her pillow to try to muffle the sounds, she tried to cry out all of the pain in her heart.

Really, though, what should she have expected?

-

Sunday morning, Sarah Jane walked into her kitchen to find the now-familiar sight of James seated at the kitchen table, furiously scribbling on his leg, which was propped on the table top.

“Feet off the table, please.”  She teased him, heading to the kettle for a cuppa.  His lack of response amused her more than anything, and it wasn’t until she turned back and saw his bloodshot eyes and upset face that she realized something was wrong.

Her own eyes widened, and she hurried over to him.  “James?  What is it, what’s wrong?  Is Rose okay?”

“I don’t know.”  He answered dully, staring at his leg.  “She went to a dance Saturday a week ago, and she’s barely talked to me since.  She said she had a lot going on, but I’ve barely heard from her.”

“And you don’t believe her?”

He shook his head slowly.  “She’s been busy before, where she couldn’t write – but even then, she’d send me little doodles, or messages occasionally.  But I’ve initiated every contact over the last week, and even then I got the bare minimum back.”

“So you think something’s wrong.”  She repeated, and he nodded miserably.

“Yeah.  And I think it’s me, somehow – something I said.  Cause I’ve asked her if there was anything wrong, with her mum, or her friends, or school, and she said no to all of it.”  He took a shuddering breath, not bothering to swipe at the escaping tear.  “And then this morning, I woke up and she sent me a message saying she thought we should take a break from each other, that it was getting to be too much and she needed some space.”

Sarah hesitated, before saying delicately, “You do realize it’s possible that she actually feels that way, don’t you?  She’s thirteen, maybe she’s getting overwhelmed by it all.  And maybe it has nothing to do with you.”

“But it does!”  James exploded.  “Something’s happened, something she won’t tell me about, and I’m losing her!  I can’t lose her, Sarah, I can’t!”  Breathing heavily, he dimly registered that at some point he’d stood up, and was now towering over his wide-eyed aunt.

Energy suddenly gone, he slumped back into his seat, resting his head in his hands.  “I don’t know what I did wrong, and she’s completely shut me out.  I don’t know what to do.”

Going over to him, she wrapped her arms around her nephew like she had when he was a little boy.  “Oh, love, I’m sorry.  I don’t know what you’re going through, and I don’t know what’s going on with Rose.  But maybe you should do as she asks – just give her some time.  Maybe she’ll come around, and just needs some time to cool off.”

Cradling his head close to her, Sarah desperately prayed her hopeful words were more than wishful thinking.  After everything the boy had been through, he deserved better. 

She just hoped the girl had a reasonable explanation, and that it wouldn’t come too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've got a rough outline for the rest of the story, and the beginnings of a sequel! Chapters through the end of this story (estimated to be a total of 20) will be posted on Saturdays.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things rapidly go downhill. Rose hits rock bottom.
> 
> Warnings for underage drinking.

Standing in the living room of Jimmy Stone’s apartment holding a beer, Rose watched the party going on around her with wide eyes.  She still wasn’t sure how she’d ended up here – the boy from the dance two weeks ago had invited her, and she’d agreed to go.  Now, realizing that she basically knew no one here and was clearly the youngest, she wasn’t so sure it was a good idea.

“Hey, Rose, right?”

She turned to look at Jimmy, who was seventeen and the host.  She nodded shyly.

“Glad you could make it.  Though, that’ll be better once you drink it.”  He advised, nodding to the open but untouched beer.

She hesitated, but managed to take a small sip, coughing immediately at the taste as he laughed.  “The first one’s a bit rough, but the rest’ll go down easier.”  He told her, before getting distracted by another girl.

Alone again, Rose looked down at the beer, and considered pouring it down the drain and going home.  Then she remembered that on a Saturday night, James was probably at a similar party.  Straightening her spine, Rose took another resolute sip of the beer, determined to enjoy her life as she was sure James was his.

-

After two weeks of James moping around the house, Sarah had almost had enough.  She was sitting on the couch trying to watch a movie, while her despairing nephew sighed and shifted every few minutes on the armchair.

She was just about ready to let him have a piece of her mind when he sat up so suddenly he fell off the chair, giving a jubilant shout.

Quickly pausing her movie, she asked, “What is it, what’s happened?”

“She wrote to me!”  James crowed, trying to shove up his sleeve and grab a pen at the same time, resulting in him falling over spread-eagled on the floor.

She watched his face carefully, and saw his expression fall almost immediately.

“Not good?”  Sarah guessed, as he slowly got up and sank onto the couch beside her.  He shook his head, brow furrowed as he held out his arm.

_What did I do wrong?_

She frowned, looking at James.  “I thought you said she was the one who stopped responding?”

“She was.”  He said tersely, pen poised to respond.  Before he could, though, more writing appeared.

_Am I too young?  You’ve never seen me – it can’t be you don’t think I’m pretty enough._

James looked up helplessly at his aunt, who could do nothing but shrug.

_I don’t understand, Rose.  What’s wrong?_

_Why don’t you ~~lo~~ want me?_   She asked instead of answering.  _Why aren’t I good enough?_

_You are good enough, more than.  And I DO want you – why do you think I don’t?  Rose, love, what’s going on?_

He hadn’t meant to send the endearment, but he’d spent the last eighteen months struggling against using it.  He was also worried at how sloppy her handwriting was, far from her usual neat printing.

_I want to be the one to make you happy._

_You DO make me happy!  Rose, you’re the only thing that’s made me happy since forever._   He hurried to write, a clawing feeling in his gut as Rose didn’t seem to notice or be responding to his messages.

_How many?_

_How many what?_

_Others._

_Other what?  Rose, please._

_How many girls have there been?_

He couldn’t help it – his jaw dropped.

_Rose, there’s never been any girls.  There’s only you._

_Don’t lie.  Not to me._

_I’m not!_

_How many girls have you kissed?_

_None.  Rose, I swear.  I_ He paused, partially embarrassed to admit it, but if she needed to hear it… _I’m waiting for you._

_I’m not stupid.  Tell me._

_James, please._

_Rose, I swear there’s never been anyone – why would you think there was?_

_Your 17._

_So?_

_2 weeks go._

_Your dance?_

_Said no w8._

_Yeah…?_

_Why u no w8 4 me?_

As he realized her spelling and writing had gone steadily downhill, an awful thought crossed his mind.

_Rose, are you drunk?_

_No._

_Rose?_

_Mayb.  Lil._

_Rose!_

He waited, but got no response.

_Rose, where are you?_

It took an agonizingly long time, but she eventually responded.

_Party.  No feel gud._

_Party where?_

_Freins._

_Who?  Where?  Rose, please.  Does anyone know where you are?_

_Dunno.  No.  James-_ she paused there, and his heart leapt to his throat when she finished her thought.  _Scared._

_Rose, where are you?  What do you remember?_

_Jimmy Stone.  Near._   Was all she sent through, and he cursed.

Hearing a phone ringing, he looked up to see his aunt had her own phone to her ear.  “I have a lot of friends in the right places.”

-

James leapt out of Sarah’s small blue sedan before she had even properly stopped, sprinting up to the officer guarding the door.

“Rose Tyler!”  He demanded, face tight with fear.  “There was a girl that was supposed to be here – Rose Tyler!  Is she okay?”

A plainclothes officer stepped up, saving the uniform from James’s wrath.  “Sir?  Do you know someone who was here?”

James quickly spun to face him, but before he could start yelling again Sarah placed a calming hand on his shoulder.   “We believe that there was a young girl here, named Rose Tyler.  About thirteen years old?”

The detective checked his notebook, before shaking his head.  “Sorry, no one by Rose or Tyler, and definitely no one who admitted to being thirteen.  Are you certain she was here?”

“Absolutely.”  Sarah responded with confidence.  “Is there any way we can check?”

The officer dithered, looking back and forth between James, Sarah, and the building. 

“Very well.”

The moment he spoke, James was sprinting up the stairs of the building, heading right for the open door of the flat the cops were still working in.

“Rose!”  He bellowed, and everyone looked up at him silently.  “Is Rose here?”  He scanned the room, before taking off for the only closed door, praying he could find his soulmate in time.

Bursting through the door and looking round in a frenzy, James would have missed her if not for the shiny shoe sticking out from behind the bed.  Hurrying over, James found an impossibly young girl lying on her side, looking peacefully asleep.

A lump caught in his throat, as he realized he was looking at his soulmate for the first time.  Even still, he managed to call, “In here!  There’s someone in here!”

He knelt down next to the prone form, gently taking her left arm to confirm what he already knew.  Seeing his own handwriting on her arm made it impossibly real, and he dimly noted the paramedics coming in and moving him out of the way, only snapping back to himself when the bed blocked his view of her.

He followed the paramedics and the stretcher out to the ambulance, but once she was loaded they stopped him from climbing in with her, stating firmly over his protests that he could follow in a car.

Watching the ambulance trundle off, sirens and lights blazing, all James could feel was numb.

How could it have come to this?

-

Settled in front of the telly, gossiping on the phone with Bev, it took a few moments for Jackie to realize the knocking sound was at her own front door.  Shutting off the tv and telling Bev she’d call her back, she yanked the door open, already giving the person on the other side a piece of her mind.

“Listen here, I don’t care what it is you’re selling-” She froze when she saw it was the woman from that meeting a year before, the reporter, who was giving her a wide-eyed look in return.

“You’re Jackie.”  The other woman breathed in surprise, and Jackie’s defenses went back up.

“Yeah, I am.  What do you want?”

The brunette shook her head as if to clear it.  “I’m sorry, I just can’t believe of all the people in the world, you’re Rose’s mother.”

“Yes, I am.  How do you know my daughter?”  Jackie’s eyes narrowed.

The woman extended her hand, smiling widely.  “I’m Sarah Jane Smith – your Rose’s soulmate James is my nephew.”

Now it was Jackie’s turn to be stunned to near silence.  “She’s not here.”  She managed to mutter, and Sarah Jane’s face fell.

“Actually, I’m aware.  Uh, may I come in?”

Jackie shrugged, opening the door all the way and letting the woman past.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m here to notify you, uh, do you know where Rose went tonight?”  Switching tracks mid-sentence, Sarah Jane called on every skill she possessed as a reporter.

“She went to a friend’s, here on the estate.  That’s all I know.  Did something happen?”  It suddenly occurred to her to ask, before the most likely scenario crossed her mind.  “Oh, don’t tell me those bloody children have run off together, or something.”

“No, no.”  Sarah Jane quickly reassured her, before asking hesitantly, “Have you noticed anything… strange about Rose’s behavior over the past few weeks?”

“Now that you mention it, yeah.  She’s definitely been quieter than usual, and she hasn’t been writing to himself much.  Said it wasn’t working.  What’s going on?”

Sarah Jane pursed her lips, trying to figure out where to start.  “According to James, something occurred around the time of that dance she attended, two Saturdays back?”  Jackie nodded.  “Anyway, James isn’t sure what he said that seemed to rub Rose the wrong way, but she started to withdraw almost immediately, and the next week she said they should take a ‘break’.  He hadn’t heard from her until tonight.  Throughout the conversation, James realized that something was wrong with her, and managed to find out that she’d attended a party at the house of a boy named Jimmy Stone.  She wasn’t feeling well, and told him she was scared.  I have multiple contacts in the police force, and they were able to locate the apartment and break up the party.  We arrived soon after, we’re up in Ealing you know, and James found Rose passed out on the floor in a bedroom.”

Sarah Jane held up a hand to stop Jackie from interrupting.  “From what the paramedics said, she’ll be just fine with a little rest, but they did take her to the nearest hospital for admittance and observation.  I got the address from her purse, and wanted to come and tell you myself.”

Story told, Sarah Jane waited tensely for Jackie’s response, but to her credit, the other woman only flinched before asking, “James found her?”

“Yes.  An officer escorted him to the hospital, and he’s going to stay as close as he can.  Though quite frankly, I’m not sure they’re capable of pulling him away without using excessive force.  He’s quite devoted to her.”

Jackie nodded distractedly.  “And you’re here to bring me to her?”

“Yes, as soon as you’re ready.”

It only took Jackie a few minutes to grab a bag and a change of clothes for both herself and her daughter before being ready to go.

“Right, let’s go.”  Jackie told her, breathing shakily.  “Now, tell me about James.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you’ve hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up. Rose begins that climb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for hospital scenes, IVs, etc. Nothing too graphic.

Rose woke slowly, feeling like she was rising through a fog.  Her first thought was that her head was pounding.  Her second thought was “James!”  Gasping his name, she tried to sit up before pain exploded in her temple and she was forced to sit back and take deep breaths.  After a few moments, she dared to reopen her eyes, before carefully leaning over to the table at her bedside, scrambling for a pen.  She only realized she had an IV when it tugged painfully.

“Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?”  An unknown, male voice asked in alarm.

“Need pen.”  She grunted, trying to stretch to reach.

The boy plucked it from the table top, but didn’t hand it over.  “Why, need to write the next great Oliver Twist?”  He asked in amusement, twirling the pen.

“No, I-” She looked at him for the first time and froze, eyes widening.

He was _gorgeous_.

Chocolate eyes, dark brown hair she instantly wanted to run her fingers through, a kind, cheeky smile.

He looked older, too, like he was in his late teens.  That snapped Rose back to why she wanted the pen in the first place.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but that’s how I communicate with my soulmate.  I need to talk to him.”  She informed him as seriously and maturely as she could.

The strange boy considered her words for a moment before handing her the pen.

“Fine, if that’s what you want.  But considering the IV in your wrist, don’t you think it might be easier to just talk to him?”  He leaned back in his seat, stretching out his impossibly long legs with a slight, though not unkind, smirk on his face.

“And how do you propose I do that?”  Rose snapped, pen poised above her arm, wondering where to start.  She was sure she’d written to him the previous night, but she couldn’t remember what she’d said and someone had washed her arm off.

“With your mouth?  Like we are now?”  He suggested cheekily.  Rose rolled her eyes, a witty retort on the tip of her tongue, when what he was saying sunk in.

“James?”  She whispered, stunned.

“Hello, love.”  Eyes sparkling, he grinned back at her.

They spent the next several minutes just goofily staring at each other, each drinking the other in.  Though James had spent most of the night watching her sleep, he was amazed at how different she looked awake.  He still couldn’t believe they were sitting together in the same room.  Even though he knew they would have to talk about what led her to drink at the party, for now he just wanted to look at her.

Just as Rose had decided to actually ask him a few questions, the curtain secluding her bed moved aside and her mother appeared, followed by another woman.

“Mum!”  She cried, feeling embarrassing tears well up.

“Good, you’re awake.  Not that himself let anyone know.”  Jackie shot the older teen a look.

“Uh…”  James ran his fingers through his hair sheepishly.  The other woman laughed.

“Oh, come now Jackie.  You can’t blame them for wanting a few minutes to themselves.  If she had needed anything, he would have moved mountains to get it for her.”

“Aunt Sarah!”  James complained, and Rose realized who the other woman was.

Rose tried to push herself up, but the movement pulled at her IV and she sat back, grimacing in pain.

“Here.”  James was instantly at her side, helping her raise the bed and sit up, before fluffing her pillows.  Instead of going back to the chair he’d been in, he perched himself on the side of the bed, within reach.

She stared at him, awed to think that after eighteen months he was so close, but he must have misunderstood because he flushed and moved away, muttering apologies.  She quickly reached out, touching his arm for the first time.

“No!”  She was momentarily distracted by the sparks that made her whole arm tingle where they touched.  “Please don’t leave me.”  She whispered, and he bit his lip in indecision before saying, “All right.  Budge up.”

It took some maneuvering, but eventually they were seated side by side on the bed, with James carefully on the other side from her IV.  Rose nestled closer, feeling safer than she could ever remember, and he only hesitated a moment before carefully wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

“So, Rose, how are you feeling?”  Sarah Jane asked kindly.

“Um…”  In all the excitement of meeting James, her pain was the last thing on her mind, but as she concentrated the ache in her arm and the pain in her head came rushing back full force.

It must have shown on her face, as both women clucked sympathetically and James’ arm around her tightened.

Jackie nodded slowly before saying, “All right, we’ll get you some pain meds soon sweetheart, but first we need to know – what happened?”

At her question, memories began to come back about the awful two weeks previous, and Rose stiffened.

Before she could come up with a satisfactory way to delay answering, James stepped in.

“Uh, Jackie – I mean Mrs. Tyler – can Rose and I have a few minutes?  I think we need to talk before she starts explaining.”

It wasn’t quite the reprieve she was hoping for, but given that he was here and she could look him in the eye for likely the only time before she turned eighteen, she decided to seize the opportunity.

Once they were alone, however, her courage fled and she was unable to meet his eyes, watching her own hand pick at a loose thread on the blanket instead.

Eventually, unable to take the silence any longer, she looked up to find him watching her, waiting patiently.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”  She giggled a little at the exchange, amused that after a year and a half of daily communication, they were actually meeting in person.

“How about we start over, yeah?”  He suddenly suggested, sticking his hand out.  “I’m James.”

“Rose.”  She said pseudo-seriously, giving him a firm handshake.

“Nice to meet you, Rose.”

There stared at each other stupidly again, grinning like fools until James’ smile fell and he glanced away, before looking back at her.

“So, Rose,” he began hesitantly, trying to start off on the right foot.  “Can I tell you a story?”

Her nose crinkled adorably, but she nodded, curious.

“So, I first contacted my soulmate a year and a half ago.  We got on like a house on fire, no problems at all.  Then out of the blue, two weeks ago, she goes to her first dance.  She’s nervous, and not having a good time.  I encourage her to have fun, and enjoy those experiences as they only come around so often.  Everything’s fine.  Starting the next day, she completely ices me out, until she tells me she wants to take a break from each other.  Now, I have absolutely no idea how being supportive of my soulmate caused me to lose her – do you have any ideas?”

She flushed, and instinctively pulled her knees up, trying to hide behind them.

He gave her a few moments to respond, but when she didn’t say anything, he sighed.  “Rose, love, please tell me what I did wrong, because I haven’t got a clue.  I can’t lose you.”  He confessed, reaching out to touch her but pulling back at the last second, leaving his hand on the bed six inches from her foot.

“James…”  She whispered.

“Rose, please.”  He pleaded softly.

“I – I don’t - ”  She sniffled, before deciding to go for broke.  “I’m thirteen.”

“I know.” The upward pitch his voice took on made it sound like a question, prompting her to keep speaking. She sighed heavily.

“You’re seventeen.”

“Yep.”

She shot him a look.  “This is hard enough, do you mind?”

“Sorry.”  He mimed zipping his lips closed and throwing away the key.  Any other day that would have made her laugh, but not now.

“Look, I live on an estate.  I’m not an idiot, I know about the ‘birds and the bees’, and how it is for older teenagers, especially blokes.  I guess I just thought-” She bit her tongue, trying to keep from crying.  “I realize now it probably so naïve to think-” She sniffled, not sure she could get the words out without tears.

James raised his hand, like he was a student in class.

“Yes?”

“Rose, I’ve been waiting my whole life for you.”  He told her seriously, frowning when she snorted.

“I have.  And I’m not particularly – I’ve never been girl crazy, so to speak, even less so after I found you.  I believe in soulmates, in all the wonder and joy, and this past year and half has proven me right in spades.  There are no girls.  I’ve never kissed a girl, romantically I mean, and I don’t plan to start until your eighteenth birthday.  I am yours, Rose, absolutely, unashamedly, unreservedly.  And it kills me to think that you doubt that.”

“But you said-” Rose argued, and he cut her off.

“I said that you need to live your life for you, however you see fit.  I said you don’t owe me anything just because we’re soulmated.  How and with whom you choose to spend your time is up to you.  If you want to date some idiot, that’s your right.  I believe we belong to each other, but that doesn’t mean that you’re my property.  I choose you, Rose.  I choose to wait, to have all of those ‘firsts’ with you.  But if you don’t choose me, or you don’t choose me right now, then that’s fine.  That’s your call.”  He told her firmly.

She stared at him.  “Do you honestly believe that?”

He nodded firmly.

“I thought…”  She trailed off, now feeling even more embarrassed after his passionate speech.

“You thought I was a typical estate bloke, who only cared about himself and doing what he wanted.”

“Yeah.”  She admitted softly, staring down at her knee.

He was quiet for a good minute.

“I can’t deny that doesn’t hurt, a bit.  I’d like to think you know me better, but the truth is if you’ve never seen that, it’s hard to believe.  My parents, they were the perfect couple, completely devoted to each other.  For me, that kind of adoration is as instinctual as breathing.”

“I want that.”  She whispered.

He didn’t say anything, and eventually she looked up to see him watching her.

When their gazes met, he smiled, though she noticed it started with his eyes before moving to his mouth.

“Oh, love.  You’ve already got it.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long overdue conversations are had, and bonding is enjoyed by all.

Out in the waiting room, Jackie and Sarah Jane waited in silence.

“Do you know what happened?”  Jackie asked eventually.

Sarah Jane put down the magazine she was flipping through and turned her attention solely on the other woman.  “Not really, and I don’t think James does either.  He says everything went cold overnight after that dance she went to a few weeks ago, but he has no idea what went wrong.”

“So they didn’t have a fight?”

“Not that he knows of.  I hope that whatever it is gets resolved soon.  He’s been a bloody wreck ever since, moping about.  I don’t think I had realized how much she really meant to him before now.”

Jackie nodded slowly.  “He said he loves her.”

“I believe he does.  He adores her.  He won’t say one word about his own accomplishments, but he never stops talking about hers.”

“Same with Rose.” Jackie hesitated. “You don’t worry perhaps they’re a little too attached?”

“Possibly.”  Sarah Jane said thoughtfully.  “But to James, having a soulmate is everything.  Don’t misunderstand me, I’m certain he cares for who Rose is as a person, but as his soulmate?  He grew up watching his parents who were soulmates, and they absolutely adored each other, like something out of a romance novel.  He wants, I think, something similar.”

“So you’re saying she could do worse?”  Jackie teased. Sarah Jane laughed.

“Very much so.”

Jackie sighed, before checking her watch.  “It’s been forty-five minutes – more than long enough, wouldn’t you say?”

Sarah Jane stood in response, and the two women walked towards Rose’s room in amicable silence.

Pulling back the curtain, they saw the two teenaged soulmates seated together on the bed, writing on each other and holding a stack of pens.

“What are you doing?”  Jackie asked in exasperation, and they looked up guiltily.

“Hi, Mum.”  Rose waved carefully.

“Weren’t you supposed to be talking?”  Sarah Jane asked in amusement, moving towards the chair James had spent the night in.

“We did!”  The boy confirmed defensively.  “Now we’re trying to see which types of pens work best, how colors come through, that sort of thing.”  He held up his own arms, which were covered in different colors of ink as proof.

“That’s nice.”  Jackie interrupted impatiently.  “But I think it’s high time you explained what’s been going on, young lady.”  She shot Rose a stern look, who bowed her head in response and shifted closer to James.

“Go on, love, it’s all right.”  He murmured, placing a kiss against her hair.

Starting hesitantly, mostly talking to her lap where her hand was clasped with James’, Rose explained their conversation at the dance, her later ‘epiphany’, and everything since.

The entire time, Sarah Jane watched James watch Rose.  She saw how he quietly supported her, letting her talk at her own speed, never interrupting.  They held hands, and he occasionally used the other to smooth her hair or wipe a tear from her cheek.

Though her heart broke for the girl, hearing her story about the misunderstanding, she knew instinctively the couple would be all right.  Sarah was used to seeing James fawn over Rose; he lit up like a child at Christmas whenever he got a message from her.

This was the first time she was actually meeting the girl herself.  It moved Sarah, to see her so devoted to James, just as he was to her.  She did worry, a bit, about how that devotion had led them here to the hospital, but felt certain that now the two had a chance to clear the air, and Rose could see for herself how genuine James was, it wouldn’t be an issue going forward.

Hopefully.

“But we’ve talked, and sorted all of that out.  I’m really sorry I was so stupid.”  Rose finished.

James immediately reacted.  “Don’t say that!”  Jackie and Sarah Jane were instantly forgotten, and he turned to face his soulmate, cradling her face in his hands and looking her in the eye.  “You are not stupid.  There were assumptions made, and they were wrong, but that does NOT make you stupid.”  He told her fiercely.

“Okay.”  Rose muttered, clearly uncomfortable with his vehement defense of her.

“Rose, really.”  His thumbs gently traced her cheekbones, trying to offer comfort.  “You’re incredibly smart, and talented, and overall wonderful.  I think the world of you.”  He confessed.

Rose blushed, unable to keep contact, though she did lean in slightly to his hands on her face.  “It means a lot that you see me that way.”  She admitted shyly. He shrugged nonchalantly.

“It’s the truth.”

Before Rose could respond, there was a light cough and the four heads swiveled to see a cop standing there sheepishly.  Sarah Jane recognized him as the helpful officer from the night before.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I need to be taking Miss Tyler’s statement now.”

James opened his mouth, but the officer shook his head before the teen could say anything.

“Sorry, only Miss Tyler and her guardian can be present.”

James had a mulish look on his face, like he was going to argue, but Sarah Jane stepped in before he could.

“That’s fine, officer.  We’ll be in the waiting room.  Or, better yet – Rose, can we fetch you something from the cafeteria?”

-

“How are you doing?”  Sarah asked once they were seated in the cafeteria with what passed for breakfast.

“Fine.”  James stabbed at his eggs, not even hungry.

“James…”

“How could she think that?”  He finally exploded.  “How could she think that I would – that I would-” frustrated, he shoved his fingers through his hair.

“Oh, James.”  Sarah sighed, watching him sympathetically.  “Do you remember when you were a thirteen year old girl?”

He started to nod sadly, before her full sentence processed and his head jerked up to stare at her.

“What?”

“Exactly.”  Sarah explained patiently.  “You have no idea what she’s going through, how she feels – she’s experiencing a very different life than you are, meaning you don’t see the world the same.  Thirteen is a very awkward age for a young woman, and to be soulmated to a boy so much older – and yes, at your ages, it is a significant age gap – that just adds to the pressure.  I’m sure she’s seen a darker side of romance than you have.  The worst relationship you’ve ever witnessed is watching your father and Sylvia snark at each other.”

Loathe as he was to admit it, he knew she was right.  “So, how do I convince her I’m not like that?”

“By doing.  James, the only way to prove you’re ‘not that kind of guy’, is to not be that kind of guy.  I don’t expect that to be a problem for you, anyone can see how you care about each other, but it’s just going to take time.   You’re the exception to most of what she’s seen, not the rule.”

James nodded miserably, pushing his eggs around the plate.

“I’m not going to be allowed to see her again until she’s eighteen, am I?”

Sarah hesitated.  “You’re not really supposed to, no.”

“Do I sense a but?”  He asked, half-teasing.

“Well, Jackie and I have briefly –” His expression turned from brooding to that of an excited puppy in a matter of seconds. “Very briefly, mind – discussed the possibility.  We may, under very limited and specific circumstances, allow you to see each other.”

“Really?”  The hope shining in his eyes made her resolve to see that happen solidify.

“Possibly at Christmas.  I think we both realize that we’ll be spending the holidays together once you’re both eighteen and a proper couple.  Given that we’re both such small families, I suppose it makes sense to begin sooner rather than later.  Remember, convention says soulmates should be kept apart until eighteen if at all possible.”  She cautioned.

“Oh, Aunt Sarah, please.  I’ll do anything you want – just, please.”  He begged her.

“It’s not up to me, darling.  And again, I say – very limited, and very supervised.  It depends on what Jackie’s comfortable with.  And that may be nothing, so don’t go getting your hopes up – or Rose’s, either.  If you tell her and Jackie decides to say no, that’ll cause a rift between them, and you don’t want to be responsible for that.”

He bobbed his head in agreement, but she knew her words had gone in one ear and out the other as he started making a list of all the events throughout the year that could qualify as ‘very limited and specific’ for them to meet.

-

“All right Miss Tyler, I think we can leave this incident as a warning – you seem to have a good grasp on the seriousness of your actions.  Don’t do it again, yeah?”  The officer cautioned, pulling away his notepad and rising from the chair.

“I do, and I won’t.”  Rose promised, sighing in relief when he was gone.

“Do we need to talk about this further, or do you understand exactly how much trouble you’ll be in if anything like this ever happens again?”  Jackie questioned, and Rose shook her head gingerly.

“I’m good, Mum.  Really.”

“All right then.  Let’s talk about something else.  He’s a bit fit, isn’t he?”

“Who, the officer?”  Rose crinkled her nose and Jackie rolled her eyes.

“No, the Pope.  James, you silly goose.”

“Oh!”  Her eyes lit up.  “More than a bit, I’d say.  He’s gorgeous.”

Jackie had to laugh at the dreamy, love-struck look on Rose’s face.

“And just think, he’s all yours.”

“Yeah.”  Rose agreed quietly, sighing.

“What, you don’t believe him?”

“No!  Well, I mean, yes, I do.  At least I want to.  But look at me, Mum.  And look at him!  He’s so much older than me, and so handsome.  He’s absolutely brilliant, and funny.  I just… I feel like he could do better.”  She played with a loose thread.

“Maybe.”  Jackie acknowledged with a shrug.  “But those things, they only matter to a certain degree.  And you’re smart, and funny, and pretty.  But more importantly, Rose, you’re you.  The universe chose you for him and him for you for a reason.  Once you’re of age and together, you’ll start to see what that reason is.  Don’t worry so much about the challenges.  Focus on the good, here and now.  That’s what your daddy always said.  He’d tell me, ‘Hush Jacks.  Don’t go borrowing trouble from tomorrow.’  Course, he was always borrowing _money_ from tomorrow, but that’s neither here nor there.”

Rose smiled at the mention of her father, though her thoughts quickly went back to her soulmate.

“Did you see how amazing his hair is?”  She asked.

“I did.  Like I said, he’s a bit all right.”

Mother and daughter burst into giggles, gossiping together about James.

Jackie still wasn’t sure to feel about the boy in concept, and this incident certainly hadn’t helped, but if he made Rose laugh and put that big smile on her face, she supposed he couldn’t be all bad.

 


End file.
